The Summer I Grew Up
by the guest
Summary: Pony and Will are 10 years old, just out of elementary school, and about as carefree as can be. When the Curtis boys and Will head out for a summer camping trip, it will end up being an adventure to remember.
1. Chatper 1

The bell rang through every classroom, signifying the end all had awaited. 

"Yes!" Pony slapped a high five to Will, the best friend he had ever had in his 10 years. "School's out for the summer!"

The two boys grabbed anything remaining at their desks (they had cleaned them a day earlier because the teacher told them to) and ran out of the elementary school building, jumping and whooping the whole way.

"Man, we're never gonna go back there, Will," Pony commented.

"Yeah! Junior High, here we come! It'll be so tuff!" Will was beaming.

Before long, Pony and Will caught up to three older boys, who were also whooping and jumping in a manner similar to their own. Sodapop, Johnny Cade, and Steve Randle were three people that the boys looked up to and respected as older and wiser greasers that they should learn from.

"Hey kid," Soda said to Pony. "Billy," he nodded to the other boy.

"Soda, he goes by Will now," Pony corrected his older brother. Soda ignored him. That happened sometimes. The brothers had a good relationship, considering the 2 and a half year difference between them, but Soda couldn't always treat him as an equal, and Pony couldn't always keep from annoying his older brother. It was too much fun for him. Their oldest brother, Darrel, who they called Darry, tried to keep them from fighting, but that didn't always work. Because of the 6 year difference between them, Pony and Darry butted heads a lot. In the long run of things, Pony loved his older brothers more than he could express, and they felt the same way about him.

Steve Randle was Sodapop's best friend since grade school. They had always lived in the same neighborhood; the same neighborhood Johnny and Will lived in. They liked drag races, cars, and pretty much anything that made noise and could move. That included themselves. When they had nothing better to do, they would make noise and do something active, like race or box. Steve and Soda were regular 13 year old greasers in 1963.

Johnny Cade didn't say much to Pony ever. He hung out with Steve and Soda a lot, and tried to stay away from his own home. It confused Pony at first; home was his favorite place. But one night, he woke up to the sound of yelling from the Cade's house. The next morning Johnny had a black eye and bruises on his arms. From that day on Pony understood, but he didn't like it one bit. As a young boy in his part of town, though, he couldn't do anything.

The boys talked amongst themselves on the walk back to the east side. There was a new excitement in the air since school was over, and they had a whole summer to do as many crazy things as they could think of.

"You doing anything fun this summer?" Pony asked Will.

He sighed, bored. "Not really. Dad said there's not enough money to go anywhere. My cousin from Texas might come up for a week." Will shrugged. Pony understood more than his friend said. Like most kids on the east side, he didn't have a real great home. His dad got drunk periodically, but never really beat him. His mom was sick. Will's one older sister was a Junior in high school. She was barely ever home, and when she was, it was worse than when she was gone. Pony and Will didn't really like her friends, though they both had their different reasons. Darry told Pony to stay clear of them, so he did. On the other hand, Will had a different battle. He so wanted to be liked by his sister, but her friends always smelt weird and acted weird. Some times late at night he would remember when they were younger, and she would let him cuddle with her. "What are you doing this summer?"

Pony hesitated for a minute. He knew that Will didn't have a good dad, but he also was extremely excited about his summer plans. When each boy in the Curtis family was officially out of elementary school, the summer before junior high, they were allowed to go with their father and whoever else was old enough to the country for a camping trip. This was his first summer old enough, and his dad had long ago taught him how to shoot a gun, but he had never actually hunted. "Dad's taking us boys camping," he said finally.

"That's really tuff," Will said, acting excited for his friend. They didn't say anything else for a while.

Then, Pony got an idea. "Hey! I wonder if Dad would let you come. I mean, you're old enough, and one more wouldn't be bad. You ain't gonna take up that much space or nothing. Besides, you're my best friend."

"Really? I ain't sure if my dad would say yes, but I sure want to go! Man, we would have a blast, huntin' and sleepin' under the stars, and all that. I ain't never been camping." The little boy brightened.

The group came to their neighborhood and split off to their own houses.

"I'll ask my dad tonight," Pony assured his friend, then they parted with their usual secret salute.

"We're home!" Soda called as he usually did, busting through the front door and kicking off his shoes.

Mrs. Curtis stuck her head through the kitchen doorway. "Hi boys, how was school?" She asked, as she normally did every day.  
"It doesn't matter!" Soda answered. "It's over for the summer!" He whooped and did a little happy jig, making mom laugh her soft, sweet laugh. Ponyboy laughed too, and considered copying him, but thought better of it.

"What about you, honey?" Mrs. Curtis turned her attention to Pony.

He grinned. "It was the last day of school, Mom. What do you think?" She walked over and ruffled his hair, then laughed at Sodapop again, because he had finished his jig and was attempting to do a back flip.

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis," she said in a mock scolding tone, "You know you're not supposed to jump around in the house. Take it outside."

He got up. "Yes ma'am."

Soda dashed out the door he had come in just minutes before and looked for Steve. It was officially summer, so they were going to celebrate by having some fun, maybe chasing kids at the park or racing to the DX and buying cokes. Mrs. Curtis shook her head and went back into the kitchen. Pony could smell something good cooking, like a pot roast or something similar. He stood in the front room alone for a second, considering what to do. In truth, he could do pretty much anything. By nature, he chose what he always did after school. Pony dashed out the front door, as Soda had, and raced to Will's house for a game of football before supper.

"Dad. Dad. Dad? Dad!"

"Ponyboy, your brother is talking, wait a minute."

"Yes sir," Pony grumbled. His brother Darrel had been talking about college and football for all of dinner, which was a long time for a 10 year old.

Finally, the conversation finished. Before anyone could say anything else, Pony jumped on the chance.

"Dad, can Will come with us on the camping trip?" He was ready to beg if need be, and his tone revealed how much he wanted for his friend to go.

His father sighed. "I'm not sure, son."

"Please! He won't take up too much room or eat too much." Pony pleaded.

"I'll think about it," was Mr. Curtis's reply. That is the reply dreaded by all kids. Normally, 'I'll think about it' means no. Pony tried not to scowl; he respected his father too much for that. But he really didn't see why one extra boy would be a problem. Maybe if he had been a little older, Pony could have understood how his father treasured the time he got to spend with his boys, and no matter how selfish it was, he didn't want to share them. He also didn't want to share his affection with his son's friend. It was a father-son trip, and Mr. Curtis wished he could keep it that way. Eventually, though, the baby of the family would win.

When dinner was over, Pony got a treat he normally didn't get: football with his Dad, Darry, and Soda. Because summer had officially started at the end of school, they were allowed to stay up later, and none of them had anything the saw more important than evening football. Darry was the starting quarterback for his high school team, so he normally killed everyone on the field, even in backyard football. That was one of the reasons Pony was on Darry's team; he was small and slow, and Darry was fast and strong. Not to mention big. On request of an adoring fan, he would flex his huge biceps, or ripple his six pack abs. Pony desperately wished that someday he could have the build his older brother did. Pony wanted to be anything his big brothers were.

Soda and Mr. Curtis were on the other team, joking around putting mud on their faces. Soda had one of the best relationships with his dad. It wasn't that Mr. Curtis played favorites; Soda had just inherited his father's sarcastic and funny personality. Darry may have looked the most like their dad, but Soda had the mind of his father. Sometimes Pony would look at his dad with his brothers and wonder how he possibly could fit in with that trio. It was at those times that Soda would tackle him, throw him over his shoulder, and set him in the middle of his father and Darry, and they'd have an all out tickle match. Of course, Pony couldn't do much but yelp and laugh hysterically, being in the center of it, but he didn't mind it.

"Down, set, hike!" Pony yelled, trying to make a perfect snap to Darry. It ended up a little wobbly and to the left, but Darry caught it. They ran out their play. Rather, tried to run out their play. Soda always covered Pony, so his chances of actually completing a pass or making a touchdown were slim. This time, though, Darry had made a new strategy. Pony hadn't quite got it all, but he understood the part where he was supposed to run by Darry and pretend to get the ball.

After the snap Darry help back for a minute before charging forward, all the while watching his dad and Pony. Wherever Pony was, Soda automatically was there, too. He would be a great defensive lineman if he ever played football in high school. Out of the corner of his eye, Darry saw Pony heading towards him.

Perfect, he thought, this may actually work. Unfortunately, Darry didn't see the hole Pony was heading straight for. Neither did Pony. As soon as his foot was in the hole, he smacked onto the lawn as ungracefully as possible.

"Umph," he said when he hit the ground. For a minute, all heads turned to watch the youngest. Then, Darry realized it couldn't have worked out any better. He broke out into an all out sprint when everyone else wasn't paying attention. A split second later Mr. Curtis began chasing after him, but Darry was too fast.

"Yeah!" He shouted, throwing the football to the ground behind the makeshift touchdown line. "Darrel Curtis makes yet another touchdown! Did you see that running action?" Darry could get about as arrogant as a peacock when he wanted to be, but it never lasted long.

Pony was still on the ground with his foot in the hole. He looked up when he heard his older brother yelling.

"Yeah, Darry!" he yelled from his place on the ground. At first, he had been embarrassed about falling, but now he didn't care. The youngest brother pushed himself up from the damp earth and brushed the grass off of him.

"I ain't never seen someone tripping go so perfectly with a play, kid," Darry commented to Pony.

"Whaddaya mean?"

His brother smirked. "All I needed was a little diversion."

Pony beamed. He wasn't quite sure what a diversion was, but he had a general idea.

"Let's head in, boys," Mr. Curtis shouted, panting a little.EveryCurtisboyloved a good run.


	2. Chapter 2

Pony woke up early with a nervous excitement hanging over him. He glanced at Soda in the bed across the room. He was still sleeping. Pony laughed as his older brother took a deep breath then mumbled something in his sleep. It wasn't audible, but Pony could guess. The memory of what that morning was got Pony back on track, and he hurried to get dressed. 

The sun was just above the horizon, making the sky look a pinkish gold. When he was eight, Mr. Curtis had showed Pony a sunrise. Sure, he had seen them before that, but never like his dad had showed him. They sat on the front porch swing that Sunday morning, and Mr. Curtis had pointed out every feature of the rising sun and how the sky reacted. From that moment on Pony had loved sunrises. And of course, with sunrises came sunsets. Every once in a while Pony would wake his dad up and ask him to come watch the sunrise. On his way to Will's house that morning, Pony paused for a good five minutes and just examined the sky. He was trying to figure out how and why it all happened, but soon he was back on track, sprinting to Will's house.

He arrived at Will's bedroom window in record timing. He stood there for a minute, catching his breath. Pony loved to run, but compared to his brothers he was still slow. He raised his arm and tapped their secret know on the window he knew was right near his best friend's bed. Four swift taps, a pause, and then two more. It was Morse code for "Hi." They had come up with it in history class, where they had first learned about the Morse code.

The taps were returned in an instant, and Pony grinned. His friend was unable to sleep late, too. Soon Will had run out the front door with his old, battered knapsack to his friend. They saluted each other, then broke into silent laughter. The day for the camping trip had come.

When the two got back to the Curtis house, Darry and Mr. Curtis were up.

"Good morning, boys," Mr. Curtis said with a mischievous grin, a coffee mug in his had. Darry looked in their direction and nodded a hello. He was pouring himself a cup of coffee, like his dad.

"Hello Mr. Curtis," Will said politely. He respected Mr. Curtis because the man could handle himself at 37, and was never too busy to crack a joke.

"Hey dad, is Soda up yet?" Pony piped, hopefully.

His dad grinned slyly. He could read his youngest son's mind. "No, he isn't awake, yet, Ponyboy."

The young boy's grin matched his father's. "Maybe I could help him along…"

"I won't stop you," Mr. Curtis said, feigning seriousness, "But I will not help you." He winked at Ponyboy and handed him is metal whistle, which he had been hiding in his left palm. Pony looked at Will and smirked. They ran off to the room Pony shared with Soda trying to hold in their laughter.

"PHWEEEET!" broke the silence caused by the sleeper.

Soda's eyes opened wide and he stared his brother and Will down for an instant. Then he rolled over indignantly and pulled a pillow over his head. Pony was giddy with mischief. He put the whistle again to his lips.

"PHWEEEEET! PHWEET! PHWEET!"

"Will you cut that out already!" Soda shot up and stood menacing over the two younger boys. They laughed nervously as Pony discreetly hid the whistle in his back pocket. With nothing else to do, Will and Pony skedaddled out of there before Soda could get enough sense to attack them.

They ran straight into Mrs. Curtis.

"What are you boys doing?" she asked in a tone that said she already knew and wasn't particularly pleased.

"Um… um…"

Just then, Soda appeared in the bedroom doorway. "They were wakin' me up is what they were doing," he said in mock annoyance. Sodapop came around really quickly, and could find the humor in things. Pony and Will grinned and took off before the conversation could be finished.

Mr. Curtis was outside packing the old Ford. Pony saw their old canvas tent go in after the gun case. He remember that his dad had told him they would hunt for one of their meals. He'd never tasted venison roasted over an open fire, or rabbit, or anything else, for that matter. Mrs. Curtis didn't like camping much, so they never went as a family. Not to say they never did anything as a family; pretty much every night they had a family dinner, and they would go on other trips, just not camping.

"Hey, Pony, can you grab the fishing poles over there and hand them to me?" Mr. Curtis called, wiping his brow. That old canvas tent was heavy. Pony couldn't even get it off the ground.

"Alright, Dad!"

An hour or so later they were on the open road, after a good breakfast and last minute checks to make sure everything was there. Pony and Will sat in the back seat of the little club cab, with Darry on the passenger side and Soda in the middle up front. They had the radio turned onto old country songs, and Mr. Curtis was singing along as his sons laughed. For the first time in a while they were all able to forget the pressing issues of football, college, grades, summer jobs, work, family problems, and everything else. They were five men on a road trip, without a care in sight.

"Listen, boys," Mr. Curtis turned down the radio when they were getting close. "When we get there don't all run off. We're going to set up camp first. Then y'all can have a look around."

He put the radio back on and turned down a dirt road. The road went on and on, with twists and turns and potholes. The excitement in the car was mounting; everyone could feel it. After a while the road went into the woods. Pony could see nothing but trees and green and brown blurring past. He wished he could open the miniature window next to him and stick his head out.

"We're here!" Soda shouted as the old Ford pulled into a clearing. It was surrounded on all sides by trees, like an island in the forest. Will wasn't sure what to make of it all. He was just so glad to be there with the sky above him and the earth below him and his best friend there to play with. It didn't take much to make him happy.

"Dad, where are the drinks?" Darry called after unloading a cooler and finding food but no drinks. He grabbed an apple shoved the cooler aside. They would move it when they had the tent up.

"They're under the seat in the cab. Don't drink it all, son, it's got to last five days." Mr. Curtis was grinning from ear to ear. Something about the sun and the sky and the air of the country after a long drive invigorated him. And of course, he enjoyed teasing his sons.

Pony was up in the bed of the truck handing all the stuff he could lift to Will. Soda was directing Will where to go.

"Over there, Billy, by that tree. No, the other tree. On the right. You're other right." All three of the boys were hysterical, laughing so hard they could barely carry anything.

"Soda… you're making my sides hurt," Pony chortled.

The 13 year old raised his eyebrows teasingly. "It'll make your stomach stronger, kid. Then you can have abs of steel, like me!" He pounded his stomach, pretending it was rock hard. Darry snuck up behind him.

"You think you have abs of steel, huh?" He grabbed Sodapop around the waist and threw him over his shoulder. "Abs of steel or not, you're still so light I could lift you with one arm!"

That wasn't saying much for Darry. He could lift a lot with one arm, partly because he worked out and lifted weight at school and partly because he was a big guy in general. He ran around with Soda over his shoulder for a bit. Soda was yelling and laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.

"No… no Darry… please…" he said between gasps.

"Darry, get over here and make use of your muscles. Let Soda work." Their dad was laughing. He obeyed his dad and set Soda on the ground, limp and panting, a grin on his face. After Darry walked away he sprang up and went back to directing Will.

In no time flat they had camp made and looking semi-neat, though all of them knew it wouldn't stay neat for long.

"Dad, can we go off and explore, now?" Pony asked.

"Only if I can come," his father grinned.

"Sure!"

"You know what I'm gonna do?" Soda piped up from behind Ponyboy.

"What, Pepsi-cola?" Mr. Curtis turned to his other son.

"Go swimming!" he tore off his shirt and ran in the direction of the stream. His dad laughed a deep, hearty laugh.

"He's too much like me," he commented to himself. "Pony, you and Will go ahead. I think a swim sounds mighty nice. Besides," he winked, "I owe Soda a dunking."

Pony looked at Will, grinning. "Let's go!"

The boys wandered in their bare feet, blue jeans rolled up above their ankles, wading and climbing and imagining. "I'll bet the people in olden times had more fun than we ever do, don't you think, Pony?" Will asked as they climbed a particularly big maple tree.

"I reckon you're right. No big towns, just open country, huntin' for food and building log houses… That'd be right nice." The boys sighed with contentment. "Hey! I know what we should do!" Pony said out of no where.

"What?" Will asked. "Let's hear it."

Pony smiled. "Well, why don't we build our own fort! I'll bet it wouldn't take too long, with all this wood and stuff around. Maybe Dad would even let us sleep in it one night!"

"Yeah!" Will shouted. "That's tuff idea! We could make a fake entrance with booby traps and then a hidden entrance to really get through!"

"And then Soda and Darry could never get in!" Pony was enthralled. They hopped down from the tree and started searching for a site and logs right away.

By the time they got back, Pony's dad had already started the campfire. Soda's jeans were soaked, and he was pulled a t-shirt back on when the boys walked up.

"Hey boys, I was wondering when you would get back. Find anything interesting?"

Will and Pony exchanged looks. They had sworn secrecy about their fort until it was finished. The boys shrugged. Mr. Curtis laughed. He sensed that there was a secret involved, but he wasn't going to make them tell. Deep down, though, he wished he and Pony could sit on a log by the fire and he could hear all about that day's adventure.

"Where's Darry?" Pony asked, sitting on the ground by Sodapop. Soda snickered, and his Dad's eyes got to dancing.

"He's off getting some firewood. Hey, Soda, go grab the hot dogs out of the cooler."

"Hot dogs!" Soda yelled overenthusiastically. "Yes!" With that he dashed up and ran to the tent, which the cooler was sitting beside.

Will stood looking at the fire for a minute. Then he noted the pile of wood about five feet away. He looked from Pony to it and back. Darry was carrying a plastic bucket that they had packed for holding any fish the caught slowly and carefully, sneaking behind Pony. For a split second, he was going to warn Pony. Mr. Curtis sensed it and made a move to get Will's attention. The boy looked over for a second and understood. He stayed quiet and sat down, making a whistle with the grass.

As quick as a fox after a rabbit, Darry ran up and dumped the bucket all over Pony.

"Hey!" the little boy jumped up, soaking wet, surprised, and a little angry. "You…" He ran after his big brother and tried to tackle him. Darry laughed, easily outrunning his little brother. Then he suddenly stopped, let Pony jump on him, and whipped him to the ground. They rolled around for a little while, until Pony hollered, "Uncle!" and Darry got up. There were wet spots on his shirt, but nothing compared to Pony. He was sopping, but there was a grin on his face.

Soda, Will, and Mr. Curtis were cracking up as they walked back. The sun was setting behind them, and they were pushing each other as they trudged up to camp, laughing all the way.

"Let's start cooking those hot dogs, boys," Mr. Curtis said. All agreed, and he produced sharpened sticks, ketchup, mustard, buns, and of course, the hot dogs.

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_Alright, well folks. Thank you all for reviewing, I appreciate it. This story has been in my head for a while, and i finally got the guts to submit it. Thank you mrs soda curtis for reviewing. Scarletfugitive, thank you too. I just wanted to tell you, when I said Pony and Darry butted heads, it didn't at all mean they don't get along. I have two brothers 6 years apart. Believe me, they butt heads. But they are soo close, too! I also said at the end of that paragraph "he loved his brothers more than anything." So yeah, they've got a great relationship. A brotherly relationship. That includes butting heads normally. Thank you for your comments, though. They help a lot._


	3. Chapter 3

"Ponyboy, go grab the guitar, will you?" Mr. Curtis asked his son. They had just finished up a classic camp meal of hotdogs and then s'mores.

Pony got up. "Okay, dad. Anyone need anything else?"

"Yeah, I'll take a Pepsi and a new pair of sneakers and ice for the Pepsi and…" Soda trailed off, keeping the most serious face he possibly could. Pony, of course, had started laughing when Soda began to talk, because he had a half full bottle of Pepsi right next to him.

Darry swiftly put Soda into a headlock and turned to his youngest brother. "Don't listen to Soda, Pony. He don't really want that stuff. But you can get me my sleeping bag and duct tape for this kid's mouth!" He was joking too, and Pony knew it.

"Come on, Will," he beckoned to his friend. "I think I'm gonna need help carrying all this stuff." He rolled his eyes and walked toward the cab of the Ford where his dad's dreadnaught acoustic was. Will followed silently, wishing he had brothers like that.

When they got back, Mr. Curtis opened the guitar case and pulled out his old instrument. He had had it since he was Darry's age, and it was still in great condition. He strummed it once and fiddled with the tuners until he had the guitar in tune. Then he broke out into one of his old favorites. All the antics of Darry and Soda died down immediately when they heard the first strum. They loved to hear their dad play guitar, and then hear all the stories about how his guitar got him all the things in life worth getting. Mr. Curtis was in his own world then, remembering all the good times he'd had when he was Pony's and Soda's and Darry's age. Everyone was content to just sit there listening to the rhythm of the old campfire songs, and the country songs about home and horses and faithful dogs and wonderful women to come home to. Only Darry really liked the parts about girls. Soda and Pony would look at each other and roll their eyes

"Dad, tell us about how you met mom again," Darry requested. They all nodded their approval. It was their favorite story.

Mr. Curtis laughed quietly, remember. "Well, boys… It was like this. I was about Darry's age, maybe a bit older, and it had been a bummer of a day. I'd gone to work at the little one-horse store near my parent's house and missed out on going to the creek with my buddies, which was a big thrill for us back then." His eye twinkled. "But of course that probably seems second-rate to whatever you do now, huh Darry?"

Darry's ears got a little red. He shook his head. "Naw, Dad. Go on."

"Alright then. After work I took my guitar, which was fairly new at the time, and sat on my front porch strumming away. I must have gone through three songs when the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen walked by on the road in front of the house. I was dumbstruck like you wouldn't believe." Soda gave Pony a look, even though it was their parent's story, they couldn't help but laugh at guys going crazy about girls. Soda's dislike of girls was fading, but Pony's was beginning to come on full force. In his mind, girls were toxic, they had cooties, and besides that, they never knew how to get dirty. How could he ever like someone who didn't like mud?

Mr. Curtis gave Sodapop a look of his own. "Someday, Sodapop Curtis, you will fall in love. And on that day me and Darry'll laugh at you."

Soda shook his head like he didn't believe it, but there was a smirk on his face that said he knew his dad was right.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah. I was so stunned I couldn't even strum. She stood there for a minute, watching me, and I thought, 'Glory, what am I gonna do?'"

"And then you started to play this song," Darry said, grabbing the guitar. He played out something slow and sweet, but cool-sounding. After he finished, everyone was silent. Darry was going to be just like his dad someday. That's why Soda and Pony and everyone else liked him so much. Maybe he was more serious than Mr. Curtis, but his looks and guitar skills and strength made the resemblance so much that no one could deny Darry being Mr. Curtis's son.

"That's right, Darry. That's right," his dad said slowly, remembering. Pony walked over to his dad and put his head in his lap. Mr. Curtis smiled to himself. They fell asleep like that, content and grinning.

The next morning Will and Pony were up at the crack of dawn. Even Mr. Curtis was still asleep, though he would be up soon. The boys whispered to each other, plotting and trying not to laugh. Pony grabbed two bags of trail mix, one for him and one for Will, then they headed off in the direction of their fort.

It was just as they had left it. The fort was going to be a simple lean-to against a fallen log. They had dragged a pile of logs and sticks they found suitable for their structure, and had built about ¾ of the walls. After that, they planned on beginning the false entrance with traps set in front and behind it, and then to finish the real entrance. It was already built and beautiful in their eyes, and all they had to do was work a little and their imaginations would become reality. When the arrived, the sun hit the dew at just the right angle, making the fort seem to sparkle. The boys stood in awe for a moment.

"Let's get to work," Will said with determination.

They worked quickly and quietly, commenting on different things at different times. In no time flat the rest of the walls were built. Once again, they stepped back and admired their creation.

"We need a trip wire in front that makes a branch or something fall onto whoever tries to get in," Pony said, more as a suggestion than a command.

"No," Will replied. "A trip wire is too obvious." Then, he scratched his head a little and thought.

"How are we going to do it, then?" Pony asked. He was getting a little impatient, to tell the truth. The most effective trap he knew of was a trip wire. It wasn't really as elementary as it sounded. In his plan, the wire was just a decoy. A person had to lightly touch it, and it would pull apart connecter for the strings. The ending result could be anything from a branch swinging to hit the intruder to a bucket of water falling on their heads. It was complex, but Pony had made it work. His dad had taught it to him a few years back when Soda and Darry played a nasty trick on him.

"I know!" Will said suddenly, brightening.

Pony looked at his friend attentively. "Yeah? What?"

Will took a deep breath. "We can use the door as the trigger. You know, attach one end of the rope to the door, so when they pull on it the branch falls."

"Then what do we do in front?" Pony wanted to know. He was a little frustrated, because his plan was so similar to Will's.

"Well… I was thinking… Maybe your trip wire wouldn't be so bad. As long as we camouflaged it."

Pony grinned triumphantly. "Right. Now, should we make it seem like a door, and put 'Enter' on it, or make it seem like a wall?"

"I was thinking about that, too," Will said. "Maybe we ought to completely fake them out. You know, put a huge 'Do Not Enter' sign on the front, and an 'X' or something. That way, they'll figger we're trying to keep them out and open the door."

"Boy howdy," Pony exclaimed, "They sure would fall for that! Did we bring any rope from camp?"

Will looked at Pony and cocked an eyebrow. It was something he did when he wanted to show off. It make Ponyboy mad, because he never could really cock his eyebrow. "How should I know? You're the one that brought stuff."

Pony rolled his eyes. "I'll go get some. You start workin' on the door."

"Alright. Just don't let your brothers see, they'll suspect something."

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It's shorter than I like to do my chapters, but it seems like a good enough stopping point. I need to get moving on this story. Thanks for the reviews. They propel me forward.  
the guest to this world 


	4. Chapter 4

Mrs. Curtis stood by the window in her kitchen watching the rain fall. She had only been alone one night, and already she missed her boys. They were her world, her life. There was never a time when she wished she had a girl. Each boy brought something to the family that made it whole and somehow there didn't seem a need for more, though they would have gladly welcomed more. Sighing, she hoped that the storm would pass over Darrry, Sodapop, Ponyboy, and her husband. 

"Hey Dad, have you seen Pony and Will?" Sodapop called to his father from across camp. It was a little after high noon, and he hadn't seen his younger brother yet. The gray storm clouds were threatening to roll in over their heads.

"They're out in the woods somewhere, Pepsi-cola," came the reply. Mr. Curtis sounded unconcerned, but in truth he had seen those rain clouds coming for hours, and from then on had been watching the edge of the woods for his youngest son's return.

Soda didn't want to act like he cared as much as he did, but he couldn't help it. It was Pony's first time camping, and he didn't want it to be the last. "Those clouds ain't gonna hold up much longer, Dad. Do you think… Maybe I ought to look for them."

Mr. Curtis knew what his son was thinking. "I got the feeling they were trying to be stealthy." He stated, sounding almost final. Then he spoke up again. "They went that way," he pointed, "towards the east." Darry was cleaning some guns on a stump nearby. "Darrel, come here and help me pull this stuff into the truck. I'm afraid this storm might be a big one."

"Yes sir."

"Hey Pony, those clouds are getting awful dark. You think we ought to head back to camp?" Will asked, staring at the sky through the green canopy of the forest.

Ponyboy was bent down fiddling with the trip wire. They had worked their tails off all morning, ignoring the growling of their stomachs at noon. Their fort was nearly done, and beautiful in their eyes. "Just a minute. It's gonna hold up. Let's just get the real door in, and then we can stop," Pony protested. He knew storms could get bad where he was, but he was used to the safety of his house. The young boy was almost naïve, assuming that his tent would provide enough shelter when the rain came. He wasn't worried at all.

"But I really think we should go now," Will insisted, glancing for the fiftieth time at the graying sky.

"What? You ain't scared, are you?" His friend taunted him.

"I ain't and you know it!"

"Then let's get this door done," Pony said.

Sodapop made his way through the woods in the direction his dad had indicated silently. He knew how to stealth in the woods, and planned on having a bit of fun. The teen was still concerned about Pony and Will's safety, but that didn't mean he couldn't give his little brother a scare. Soda grinned slyly to himself.

The low rumble of thunder far off made his expression change. _"I hope they're okay,"_ he thought._ "And I hope we don't get rained on."_

"That's the last of it, Dad," Darry said. "That should keep everything dry."

"Good job, Darry. I could have never got it done this fast without you. You're a real trooper." Mr. Curtis patted his oldest son on the back affectionately.

Darry smiled to himself. He missed his dad sometimes, amidst the bustle of high school and friends and football. Now that the summer had arrived, he wanted to spend more time with him.

Mr. Curtis stretched his back. "I wonder if Soda found Pony and Will yet," he wondered aloud.

"Soda went out lookin' for Pony and Will?" Darry asked, curious.

"Yeah. 'Bout forty-five minutes ago, I'd say. This rain is coming. They'd better hurry."

Darry noticed the slightest bit of worry in his father's face. He pondered it. His dad was a firm man with a good head on his shoulders. There was no fear in him. He could have been a soldier, but he was just a kid during WWII. Mr. Curtis's father, Darry's grandfather, had fought in it, though. The boys never heard much about their grandfather besides that. Darry looked at the sky.

"Think they'll be back in time?" he asked.

"I hope so, son. I hope so."

"I got a great idea!" Pony said. He was looking at the mostly finished door of the fort.

"What?" Will asked. He had stopped thinking about the rain so much, but was still anxious to get back to camp.

"Let's make a pulley to open the door. I can run a rope from the door to that branch," he pointed to a branch about ten feet above them, "and it'll hang down."

"Then we can just pull it to open the door!" Will exclaimed. All thoughts of the storm left him. He liked this idea.

Pony grinned. "Exactly."

"So how're we gonna get the rope up there? Throw it?" Will asked.

"I was figgerin' on just climbing up there," Pony said. "I dunno how long it'll take for me or you to throw it."

Will shrugged. Pony grabbed what was left of their rope and headed toward the trunk of the tree.

"Could you give me a leg up?" he asked his friend.

"Yeah."

The boy let Pony stand on his back so he could reach the first branch. Once he had pulled himself up, Will stood and brushed the dirt from the knees of his jeans. Pony clambered up to their branch of choice and began inching along it until he was right over the door of the fort.

"Okay, Will. I'll throw this end down and you tie it to the door," Pony called, balancing his mere seventy pounds with ease on the somewhat slender branch.

As Will grabbed the dangling rope, the first droplets of rain began to fall. It went from a slight drizzle to a downpour in less than a minute.

"Pony! You'd better get down!" Will shouted to his friend, remembering his worries from before. "Hurry! We can do this later."

"NO!" Pony insisted, trying to speak above the noise of the pounding rain. "Tie it! Then I'll loop this around and get down!"

Soda freaked out when the rain started falling. "Pony! Will!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The drops began pounding on the back of his t-shirt, soaking him. "Come on, guys," he said under his breath. "This ain't fun no more."

"Get in the truck, Darry!" Mr. Curtis shouted whenthe rain began to pound. They had stood outside as it drizzled scanning the edge of the woods. "They'll come."

"Dad, shouldn't we go find Soda and Pony and Will?" Darry asked when they were out of the downpour.

Mr. Curtis sighed. "It won't do any good. They're smart boys. Soda knows enough to keep them safe until this clears. He's a good kid."

"I hope your right."

"Pony! Get down!" Will was frantic now.

"I'm coming!" the soaking wet ten year old replied. He wasn't that calm, himself. The once seemingly sturdy branch had quickly become slippery and dangerous. The wind had picked up and was swaying the tree, making it hard for Pony to move.

Will began to pace at the bottom of the tree. He knew they should have headed back earlier. Now he was hungry and soaking and wanting a good meal and something dry. He looked back up at his friend, checking his progress. Ponyboy was clinging to the branch for dear life, trying to inch his way back to the trunk. The first flash of lighting came, followed by a crack of thunder that shook the boys' bones.

"Will!" Pony yelled above the storm. "I can't do this! I can't get down!" He felt his heart rise up into his throat, threatening to send tears of fear to the normally tough ten-year-old's eyes.

Something flipped inside his friend. He didn't know what to say or do. "Hold on! What should I do?"

"I don't know," Pony called, not wanting to look at the ground.

Soda caught sight of the dark gold t-shirt Will was wearing. "Will! Will!" he yelled, forgetting his normal teasing name for the boy.

Will heard his name being called and looked in the direction it came from. He almost wanted to jump for joy when he saw Sodapop running towards him. "Soda!" he shouted.

"Will, what's goin…." Pony started to yell, but before he could finish there was another flash of lighting and roar of thunder.

Will looked up and dove to action instinctually, without thinking. Later on Soda would remember the entire scene and wonder how a kid that small could react that fast.

The crash on the forest floor made the thunder seem like a whisper.

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_I know it took me a while. I was debating on whether or not I should continue, feeling this is ruining the Outsiders, somehow. But I will continue. Thank you for the reviews. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. golden greaser, thank you for pointing out that Johnny and Pony are best friends. This is a very true statement. However, that was when Pony was 14. A lot happens in 4 years, and I think that Pony has to change a little more before he is ready to be best friends with Johnny. Any questions on what I mean?_


	5. Chapter 5

The howling wind pounded against Sodapop's ears as he ran. When he reached the heap of two little boys tangled on the floor of the woods, he bent over them. "Hey kids, are y'all alright?" 

"Soda!" Pony cried, relieved to see his older brother.

"Get off a me, Ponyboy," Will groaned to his friend, who was sitting on top of his chest. Pony crawled off and both boys sat up and took account of themselves, testing limbs here and there. Will had scraped both elbows and banged his head up a little. Pony's back was sore and there were scrapes up his legs from falling through the branches. Both seemed alright besides those cuts and bumps.

Soda plopped down beside them, tired from wandering the woods and running so hard. The younger boys cradled their minor injuries breathing heavily. They felt secure now that Sodapop had found them.

"So is this what you've been working hard at all morning?" Soda asked, looking the fort up and down.

"Yeah," came the reply. Pony and Will realized that their fort was no longer a secret, and silently mourned the fact.

Soda whistled. "Not bad." The three were silent for a minute, not knowing what to say. The rain was still pouring down on them, with the thunder rumbling and the lightning flashing. "What do you say we head back to camp?" Soda suggested, rising to his feet. He pulled Pony to his feet. The little boy winced a little and staggered towards camp. Will pushed himself off the ground and followed the brothers back, tired and sore.

When they finally returned, the wind wasn't howling so much and the rain was beginning to slow down. Mr. Curtis leaped from the truck as soon as he saw them at the edge of the woods and ran to his boys and Pony's friend.

"Glory kids, you're gonna give me gray hair. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Dad, we're fine," Pony answered, worn out.

Darry reached the others soon after his dad. He looked over his brother and Will silently, noticing the scrapes and bumps. "C'mon, Pony," he bent down and offered his back to his youngest brother. "Hop on." Pony gladly climbed onto Darry's back.

Soda looked down at Will for a second and for the first time noticed the look in the little boy's eye. He saw the neglect and the fear and even the jealously. "Want a ride, Billy?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. The little boy's face lighted up, but he tried not to look to eager.

"Sure," he said.

Mr. Curtis cooked on the propane stove that night, because the wood was too soggy to start a fire. Pony and Will had been well taken care of and checked over thoroughly. Bandages covered the scrapes, ice put on the bumps, and both boys were wearing dry clothes. Soda, Darry, and Mr. Curtis all got the story of what happened over supper.

"I was climbing the tree to hang a rope," Pony explained. "Then it started raining and got really slippery. And I slipped off." His eyes bugged out when he talked about falling out of the tree. "When I landed I was on top of Will and Soda was there." The little boy kept it brief, but part of him enjoyed the attention.

"That's 'cause Will caught you," Sodapop piped in. "I ain't never seen nothing like it." In the couple of hours since finding the boys in the woods, Soda had warmed up to Pony's friend immensely. Pony noticed it and wondered a little, but was too distracted in telling his story. Will was basking in it. All his life he had wished for a brother, and for the past few hours he was as close to one as he'd ever been.

Pony's eyes got even wider. "You did, Will?"

The ten-year-old's ears reddened, and he nodded.

"Wow," Pony said, surprised. He hadn't realized his friend had saved him by purposely breaking his fall. He quieted down about his story and chewed on all of it for a while.

Later on, when Mr. Curtis had a weak flame in the fire pit and the older boys were taking the gear out of the truck, the boys had a few minutes to sit in silence. Pony was still thinking about Will saving him. He had decided that if it weren't for his friend, he would have broken his back. And of course, breaking his back meant death in his mind. It took him a little to muster the courage to say something.

"Hey, uh, Will," Pony started.

"Yeah?" said the boy. He wasstaring into the flame andthinking about his family.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you… That you're my best friend. You saved my life." Pony said it matter of factly, but on the inside he didn't know what to say that would be enough.

Will turned from the flames to his best friend. "Shoot, it was nothing. I didn't do nothing that anyone else woulda done. If it was your brother or dad or something, the wouldn't have fallen when they caught you, either. Besides, you've always been my best friend."

Pony didn't know what to say. He sensed there was something going on in his friend's mind, something deeper than he knew yet. His mom would always look into his greenish gray eyes and say his eyes had depth, and the eyes were the window to the soul. But he had the feeling at that moment that maybe he wasn't as deep as he thought.

Will watched the fire crack and pop and sizzle as the wood dried out in the flames. Of course Pony was his best friend. He was one of his only friends. Sure, he had kids that he played around with on the playground at school, but he wouldn't have run underneath them to break their fall from a tree if given the chance. The boy wondered if he would have done it for his own sister. That thought bothered him, because somewhere in the pit of his stomach he felt a need for revenge on her. This camping trip was the first time he ever felt like he belonged, truly belonged. Pony might as well have been his brother. He pondered that idea for a minute. He would have loved to be part of the Curtis family.

Then his mom came to mind. Will didn't like to think of her. He almost hated her, almost. There was a part of him that begged her to love him, begged her to… He couldn't think about it. He wanted Ponyboy's mom. She was golden and beautiful, always had a smiled, and always looked at him like he was something special. His own mom looked at Will and his sister like they were mistakes. Sometimes Will felt like his family was one big mistake. He understood more than they thought. He knew about his mom's past, about why she was sick, and what it meant. He remembered the day they had him tested for AIDs, too. Will hated it all, every bit of it.

The little boy buried his face in his hands, wiping out the bad images. He tried to think of the fort, but then he remember that it was no longer a secret, and all that had happened that day. He was, in short, miserable.

"Will, what's wrong?" Pony had been staring at his friend the whole time.

"Uh," he started, "nothing." The little boy wiped a tear that had been forming.

"Boys! Everything's set back up. Come on and go to bed!" Mr. Curtis called to them.

Pony gave Will one last look and then walked off with his friend trailing.

"Hey! It's still dry in here!" Pony exclaimed. He and Will had gone back to the fort the morning after the storm.

Will's head poked in the doorway. "Glory, you're right. We make a pretty tuff fort together, don't we?" He grinned proudly.

"We sure do," Ponyboy said. "Cummon, let's go swimming today!"

"Sure!"

The boys ran through the woods to the river. It swelled a bit because of the rain and was a little muddy, but neither of them cared. It was only about ten in the morning, but the day was already growing hot.

"Hey Will, look at this!" Pony had found rope tied to a branch that was overhanging the river. "I bet Soda put this up. Watch this!" With that, the young boy swung out over the river and let go.He hit the water with a satisfying splash and surfaced thoroughly satisfied. "Try it!" he demanded.

"Alright," his friend grinned, climbing out of the water.

Will and Ponyboy were having so much fun swinging on the rope that they didn't notice the dark brown eyes peering at them, dancing. Sodapop was planning a big surprised for his little brother, along with Darry. Darry nudged Soda upstream a ways. There they entered the water silently, sneaking their way to the unsuspecting victims.

"Hey Pony, watch this!" Will cried, twisting in the air before landing in the water. Right before he went under, Pony screamed. He pushed to the surface as fast as he could, forgetting about his masterful jump. "Pony?" He called, breathing in water.

His friend was no where in sight. Suddenly, he felt a violent yank on his leg. He kicked, trying to get away, but it was no use. The force beneath the boy was strong, too strong for him.

Pony felt himself dragged under for what seemed like an eternity. Then he was thrust upwards out of the water and flung downstream. Evil laughter could be heard through his waterlogged ears. Witha splash, Will was beside him, sputtering and treading water.

"Soda you creep!" Pony yelled, battling the weak current towards his older brother. Sodapop was doubled over in a laughing fit while Darry tried to sneak off. His youngest brother noticed, and turned from Soda to him. "AHHH!" Ponyboy yelled, attacking the 16 year old rock with all of his seventy-five pounds. Of course, it did nothing, and he ended up with a mouthful of water. But the battle had begun.

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_I take long to put up chapters, and I'm sorry. Especially because I left you on edge. That wasn't nice. Anyhow… I'm writing for pleasure._

_ScarletFugitive: Thanks for pointing out the fact that I don't accept anonymous reviews. I had no idea that it was on. I turned it off, so now anyone can review. ..what would I do without people keeping my head on straight?_


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